Darwin and His Publisher John Murray‪.‬

The relations between authors and publishers have long formed the subject of satire and ridicule in prose and verse. During the past twenty years, however, the appearance of the memoirs of several of the leading publishers has shown that they, as a class, and as individuals, are not more deeply tainted by original sin than are the authors; and that cordial relations have been the rule, disputes the rare exception. I have been asked to write a short account of the dealings of my father with Charles Darwin, and I assent with the less hesitation because it seems to me that those dealings exhibit a type of what such an association should be creditable to both parties as gentelmen and men of business. Everything is discussed openly and frankly between them; critical questions are asked and answered without reserve, and yet--or perhaps I should say, in consequence of this--there is no trace of friction or of ill-humour, and no word of discourtesy is to be found in the whole correspondence.